John Culberson

Life comes at you fast. GOP Rep. John Culberson is one of the Democratic targets in Texas. Here Culberson embraces new technology at President Barack Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress in 2009. The photo caption in our archives said the congressman was using “an internet-enabled camera to stream live video” and he “was also sending updates to twitter.com from the House floor." (CQ Roll Call File Photo)

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As the saying goes, everything’s bigger in Texas. That includes congressional primaries.

The March 6 elections will be the first primary contests of 2018, and the initial tests offirst-time candidates running for Congress — Democrats competing in newly targeted seats and Republicans vying to replace outgoing GOP lawmakers.

New Jersey Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen is giving up the throne of what used to be the most sought-after seat at the Capitol after just one year.

The House Appropriations chairman is going out amid a blizzard of Republican infighting; lackluster presidential approval dragging down many of his “blue state” GOP colleagues; the increasing polarization of the electorate; and greater influence of Southern and Western conservatives at the expense of Northeastern moderates like himself.

Former State Department official Sara Jacobs’ campaign is launching an introductory spot on CNN and MSNBC starting Tuesday night. The California Democrat is running for the seat being vacated by GOP Rep. Darrell Issa. (Screenshot/Sara Jacobs for Congress)

It’s not just President Donald Trump whom Americans will see on TV Tuesday night.

A handful of congressional candidates hoping to take advantage of a politically captive audience are going on air, with mostly small advertising buys, before or after the State of the Union broadcast.

Every cycle there is a member of Congress who fails to modernize his campaign and adapt to new challenges, whether it’s Florida’s John Mica last cycle or George Gekas of Pennsylvania from further back. Texas Republican John Culberson might be the newest addition to the club.

He was re-elected in 2016 with 56 percent in an uneventful race, but Hillary Clinton narrowly carried the district (49-47 percent), making Culberson one of 23 Republicans representing districts won by the Democratic presidential nominee, and a Democratic takeover target.

Rep. John Culberson of Texas said the White House’s most recent aid request “would sabotage what has been an incredible response by President Trump to Hurricane Harvey up to this point.” (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

In its third emergency aid request since August, the White House on Friday asked Congress to approve $44 billion for ongoing hurricane recovery efforts, a figure seen as insufficient on both sides of the aisle.

At the same time, the White House asked lawmakers to consider a lengthy list of offsets, noting in a letter that the administration “believes it is prudent to offset new spending.”

Spread out over the first nine months of the year, primaries will set the stage for the 2018 midterm elections in November. These contests will be the first test of each party’s ability to field strong candidates in key pickup opportunities and fend off intraparty challenges.